Package For a Medicament

ABSTRACT

An outer package for a medicament is provided. The outer package has a front face, a back face, a first side, a second side, a top, and a bottom. The outer package has an interior and an exterior, the interior containing an inner package containing a medicament. The top is provided at an angle with respect to the front face of the package when the package is sealed, and has an opening suitable for extending a portion of the inner package therethrough when the package is sealed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The application relates to an improved package for a medicament, andmore particularly to an improved outer package for containing an innerpackage containing a medicament.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consumer products are often marketed to consumers at the point of salein protective packaging, such as boxes, containers, bags, blister packs,cartons, and the like. In addition to being protective, packaging forconsumer products can allow consumers to determine accurate informationabout a product from looking at and/or handling the packaging.

In some instances, packaging for a consumer product can include imagesand/or words describing the product contained within the package. Forexample, the packaging can include a brand name, product type,instructions for use, and the like. Although the packaging may includesuch indicia, consumers may not spend a great deal of time looking at apackage, and in some instances, may not be able to quickly confirm thata given package, such as, for example, a closed box, contains theproduct that they wish to purchase.

As such, there remains a need for packaging that has structural featuresthat help a consumer determine attributes of the product inside thepackage. There also remains a need for packaging that can display one ormore different types of products contained within the package at thesame time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An outer package for a medicament is provided. The outer package has afront face, a back face, a first side, a second side, a top, and abottom. The outer package has an interior and an exterior, the interiorcontaining an inner package containing a medicament. The top is providedat an angle with respect to the front face of the package when thepackage is sealed, and has an opening suitable for extending a portionof the inner package therethrough when the package is sealed.

An outer package for a medicament is also provided. The outer packagehas a front face, a back face, a first side, a second side, a top, and abottom. The package has an interior and an exterior, the interiorcontaining a first inner package containing a first medicament. The topis provided at an angle with respect to the front face of the packagewhen the package is sealed, and has an opening suitable for extending aportion of the first inner package therethrough when the package issealed. In addition, the interior has a second inner package containinga second medicament, and the second inner package is not visible to aconsumer viewing the sealed package.

Also provided is an outer package for a medicament. The outer packagehas a front face, a back face, a first side, a second side, a top, and abottom. The front face, the back face, the top and the bottom aregenerally in the shape of a rectangle, and the front face having aheight that is less than a height of the back face. The package has aninterior and an exterior, the interior containing a bottle containing aliquid medicament, and the bottle has a lid. The top is provided at anangle with respect to the front face of the package when the package issealed, and the lid is extended through an opening in the top such thatthe lid is external to the outer package and is viewable by a consumerwhen the package is sealed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a front view of a package for a medicament.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the package shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved package for a medicament,wherein the package has at least one angled face, such as, for example,an angled top face. The package can be configured to enclose only aportion of an interior package, such as a bottle of liquid medication,and at least a portion of the interior package, such as a lid, canextend out of the outer package. In this configuration, the lid may bereadily identifiable by a consumer as a lid for a bottle of liquidmedication, such as, for example, by the inclusion of a dosing cup onthe lid. In addition, the package can be configured to enclose a portionof an interior package that can be a bottle of liquid medication and aninterior package that can be a portable container of medication. Theportable container of medication can contain a solid medication, suchas, for example, a chewable medication or a tablet or capsule. Incertain scenarios, the liquid medication and the solid medication canhave the same active ingredient.

Typically, medication, such as liquid medication or solid medication,such as tablets or capsules, can be packaged in a bottle or container.The bottle or container can be sold directly to the consumer, or can bepackaged in an outer package, such as a box, clear wrap, sleeve, orother suitable package. In instances where the bottle or container ispackaged in a box for sale, the consumer may be unable to see the bottleor container of medication before purchase and may be unable to quicklydetermine if the box contains the desired medication form. In contrast,when the consumer can view the bottle or container, the consumer canquickly see which form of medication is provided, especially in theinstance where liquid medication is viewable through the body of abottle and/or where the bottle is provided with a dosing cup on the lid.

The outer package described herein is configured to enclose an innerpackage of medication, where a distinguishing portion of the innerpackage, such as, for example, the lid and/or dosing cup of a bottle forliquid medication, protrudes from the interior of the package to theexterior of the package. In some scenarios, the portion of the innerpackage that is visible to a consumer prior to purchase can bedistinctive such that the consumer can more easily identify themedication form contained within the package. For example, in onescenario, the exterior package encloses a bottle of liquid medicationthat includes a recognizable lid, including a dosage cup and adistinctive color. The lid protrudes from the exterior package such thatit can be seen by a consumer viewing the exterior package.

In some instances, the exterior package can also contain a secondcontainer that is completely contained within the exterior package suchthat the second container is not visible to a consumer. The firstcontainer and the second container can have the same medication ordifferent medications, and can be in the same form or different forms,such as, for example, a liquid medication and a solid medication. Inaddition, the first container and the second container can includemedications suitable for treating the same class of symptoms, such as,for example, respiratory symptoms, digestive symptoms, or other symptomssuitable for treatment with a medicament. Because the second containeris not visible to a consumer, its presence in the outer container can beshown via indicia on the exterior of the package, such as, for example,by a visual depiction of the second container and/or the medicationcontained therein.

FIG. 1 shows the front face of a package 10. The package 10 can be abox, and can be made of any suitable material, such as paper, cardboardor laminates of packaging materials. Package 10 can be any suitableshape or size, and can be a six-sided box having four sides or faces, atop and a bottom. FIG. 1 shows one face 12 of a six-sided box, the faceshown having four edges generally in the shape of a square, the edgesbeing at the corners of a three-dimensional package 10. FIG. 1 alsoshows top 20 of the box. As shown in FIG. 1, top 20 can have four edgesgenerally in the shape of a square, and can be provided at an angle suchthat the top 20 is visible when viewing face 12. Top 20 can also haveopening 30, which can be in a shape suitable for extending a portion ofproduct 16 therethrough. As shown in FIG. 1, opening 30 can be in theshape of a circle.

The product 16 contained within package 10 can be contained within aninner package 40. As shown in FIG. 1, inner package 40 can be a bottle,such as, for example, a bottle containing a liquid medicament. Thebottle can have a lid 45 that protrudes through opening 30 when thepackage is sealed. The lid 45 can include a dosing cap suitable formeasuring a dose of the liquid medicament contained within the bottle.As shown in FIG. 1, at least one side of the lid 45 can protrudesubstantially entirely from top 20 of package 10. Such a configurationcan allow a consumer to readily identify that the package 10 contains abottle for a liquid medicament. This can assure the consumer that theyare purchasing the desired liquid medicament, despite the body of thebottle being enclosed within the package 10.

In addition, certain medicaments may be associated with a particularcolor, and lid 45 can be colored, such as, for example, via use of apigmented material or by covering or wrapping the lid with theparticular color, which can also indicate to a consumer that they arepurchasing the correct medication form. In some instances, the exposedportion of the inner package can be made even more visually discernibleto a consumer by applying a contrasting color and/or pattern to some orall of the top face of the outer package. This can allow the top face toact as a background to highlight the distinguishing feature of the innerpackage viewed by the consumer.

One or more indicia may be provided on face 12 and/or top 20 of thepackage 10 that correspond to the first product 16 and/or the firstinner package 40. Suitable indicia could depict, for example, a visualof first product 16 and/or first inner package 40. Alternatively, thefirst product 16 and/or first inner package 40 may not be depicted onthe exterior surface of package 10.

Package 10 can also include a second product 17 that can be containedwithin a second inner package 41. As shown in FIG. 1, the second product17 and second inner package 18 may not be visible when package 10 issealed. One or more indicia may be provided on face 12 of the package 10that correspond to the second product 17 and/or the second inner package41. Suitable indicia could depict, for example, a visual of secondproduct 17 and/or second inner package 41. As shown in FIG. 1, becausethe second product 17 or second inner package 41 is not visible throughthe package 10, it may be desirable to place an indicia depicting thesecond product 17 and/or second inner package 41 in a prominent positionon face 12, such as, for example, at a slight angle on face 12.

FIG. 2 shows the side face 18 of package 10. The side face 18 has fouredges generally in the shape of a quadrilateral, the edges being at thecorners of a three-dimensional package 10. The side edges 50 aregenerally parallel to one another, and the top edge 51 is not parallelto the bottom edge 52, such that the top edge 51 forms an angled surfacethat corresponds to top 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the back face of package10 can be taller than the front face 12 to form the angled surface oftop edge 51. As shown in FIG. 2, side face 18 can include indiciacorresponding to the first product 16, first inner package 40, secondproduct 17, and/or second inner package 41.

The top face of the package is angled such that the face is viewable toa consumer viewing the front face of the package. For example, the topface can be angled such that substantially the entire top face and theentire front face can be viewed by a consumer when the package is placedon a store shelf. In one embodiment, the top face is angled such that aconsumer can view the top face, the portion of the inner packageprotruding therefrom, and the front face of the package at the sametime. The top face can have any suitable angle with respect to the frontface of the package, such as, for example, about 20 degrees to about 80degrees, such as about 30 degrees to about 70 degrees, about 40 degreesto about 60 degrees, about 40 degrees to about 50 degrees, or about 45degrees.

The package may be any suitable shape, such as for example, with abottom portion that is generally rectangular or generally square. Thetop portion can be configured in any suitable shape for providing thedesired angled surface, such as, for example, in a triangular shape asviewed from the side. The top face can be provided in the form of a topflap, such that the flap can be folded over the exposed portion of theinner package and sealed to close the container. In addition, thepackage can include side flaps connected to opposing faces of thepackage that can be folded toward each other and toward the center ofthe package. In certain configurations, the side flaps can be foldedtoward each other and the top flap can be folded over the side flaps andthe exposed portion of the inner package to form the top face and closethe package.

The package may be any suitable size, such as, for example, a sizeappropriate for housing one or more inner packages of medication. Forexample, in one scenario, the package front face can be from about 4inches to about 5 inches tall and from about 2 to about 3 inches wide,the back face can be from about 6 inches to about 7 inches tall and fromabout 2 to about 3 inches wide, each side face can be from about 4inches to about 5 inches tall at the front of the side face and fromabout 6 inches to about 7 inches tall at the back of the side face, andthe top face can be from about 3 to about 4 inches as measured from thefront face to the back face and from about 2 to about 3 inches wide.

The package has an opening suitable for allowing a distinctive portionof the inner package to protrude therethrough. The opening can be anysuitable shape, such as, for example, circular, square, rectangular,oval, triangular, flower shaped, heart shaped, or any other suitableshape. The opening can be any suitable size, such as, for example, fromabout 0.5 inches to about 3 inches, such as, for example, from about 0.5inches, about 0.7 inches, about 1 inch, about 1.2 inches, about 1.4inches, about 1.6 inches, about 1.8 inches, about 2.0 inches, about 2.2inches, about 2.4 inches, about 2.6 inches, about 2.8 inches, about 3.0inches, or any other suitable size. The opening can be any suitablepercentage of the area of the top face, such as, for example, from about10% to about 90% of the area, from about 20% to about 80% of the area,from about 30% to about 70% of the area, from about 40% to about 60% ofthe area, or any other suitable amount of the area.

The inner package can be any suitable container for a medicament. Forexample, suitable containers for liquid medications can include bottles,including bottles with lids, lids with dosing cups, droppers, or thelike. The bottle can be transparent on all or a portion of the body,such that the liquid medication can be viewed through the bottle priorto use. Bottles for liquid medication can be asymmetric along atransverse axis, such as, for example, with an oval, round, square,rectangular, or triangular body and a narrowed neck and lid. Suitablecontainers for solid medications can include, for example, bottles,jars, or “to go” containers suitable for carrying a small number ofchewables, tablets, or capsules, and the like. Containers for solidmedication can be opaque, such that the medication cannot be viewedwithin the container, and may be generally symmetric about a transverseaxis. Solid medication can also be contained in a typical blister cardor pack.

A portion of the inner package can be contained within the outerpackage, and a portion of the inner package can protrude through a faceof the outer package to the exterior of the package. In certainscenarios, the exposed portion of the inner package can be a portionwith a distinguishing feature. For example, if the inner package is abottle for a liquid medicament, the cap of the bottle can be the exposedportion. The cap can include a dosage cup or other identifying indicia.Any suitable amount of the inner package can be exposed, such as, forexample, about 10% to about 30%, about 15% to about 25%, or any othersuitable amount.

The outer package also can include a second inner package of medication.The second inner package can be a different package type from the firstinner package, such as, for example, where the first inner package is abottle for a liquid medicament and the second inner package is acontainer for a solid medicament. In some scenarios, the first innerpackage can be a full size bottle or container and the second innerpackage can be a travel size bottle or container. The first innerpackage and the second inner package can contain the same medicament,such as, for example, an anti-diarrheal or a cold and flu medicament.Alternatively, the first inner package and the second inner package cancontain different medicaments, such as, for example, a heartburnmedicament and an anti-diarrheal medicament or a daytime cold medicamentand a nighttime medicament. In some scenarios, the first inner packageand the second inner package can contain medicaments appropriate fortreating the same category of condition, such as, for example,respiratory disorders, digestive disorders, or any other suitablecategory of conditions.

The outer package can be displayed to a consumer alone, or together withother forms of the medication. For example, in one scenario, the outerpackage can contain an inner package that is a bottle for a liquidanti-diarrheal medication and a container for a solid anti-diarrhealmedication. The outer package can be displayed on a store shelf or via awebsite near the bottle and/or the container as they are individuallysold. The bottle and/or the container could be sold without any outerpackaging, which could facilitate the consumer more readily identifyingthe distinguishing portion of the inner package that protrudes from theouter package described herein.

Indicia can be disposed on any face of the outer package, such as, forexample, an externally visible face, particularly a face intended to beoutwardly oriented with respect to a retail shelf at the point of sale.Indicia can be sized to cover from about 10%, about 20%, about 50% orabout 90% of the externally visible face or top of the outer package. Ingeneral, indicia can range from about 1 cm to about 10 cm in size,measured in a maximum dimension from one peripheral edge to another.

The medicament can be manufactured in any suitable product form.Suitable product forms include tablets, dragees, caplets, softgelcapsules, solid-filled capsules, liquid-filled capsules, enteric-coatedforms, sustained-release forms, solid lozenges, liquid-filled lozenges,mouth and throat drops, gums, confectionaries, “gummies”, effervescenttablets, dry dissolvable powders (for example in sachets or stickpacks), dissolvable film strips, sublingual tablets, buccal tablets,syrups, elixirs and liquids for swallowing, treats, biscuits, patchesfor transdermal administration of an active, topical anti-microbialcompositions, inhalants, topical creams and lotions, and combinationsthereof.

The medicament can be useful for treating a respiratory condition, suchas, for example, cold and flu, bacterial infections, allergies,sinusitis, rhinitis, asthma, and the like. Respiratory conditions maypresent with any of a variety of symptoms, such as runny nose, nasaland/or chest congestion, cough, sneezing, pressure, headache, aches,fever, fatigue and/or sore throat. Actives suitable for treatment ofthese symptoms can include, for example, decongestants,anti-cholinergics, expectorants, antihistamines, antitussives,analgesics, anti-virals, mucolytics, demulcents, anesthetics, andantibiotics, including, for example, non-prescription pharmaceuticalactives and prescription pharmaceutical actives.

The medicament can be useful to treat a gastrointestinal condition, suchas, for example, viral infections, bacterial infections, auto-immuneconditions, genetic conditions and the like. Gastrointestinal conditionsmay present with any of a variety of symptoms associated with adisruption in function of the digestive system, such as diarrhea,constipation, upset stomach, vomiting, sour stomach, cramps, gas,bloating, stomach ache, and the like. Actives suitable for treatment ofthese symptoms can include, for example, laxative, anti-diarrheal,anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, antacid, rafting agents andanti-flatulent, including, for example, non-prescription pharmaceuticalactives and prescription pharmaceutical actives.

The medicament can be useful to treat any other suitable condition, suchas, for example, overall health and well-being, including, for example,respiratory health, gastrointestinal health, immune health, mobility andjoint health, cardiovascular health, skin health, oral/dental health,hair health, eye health, reproductive health (including menstrualhealth), ear, nose and throat health, and the like.

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, inrelevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of anydocument is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior artwith respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package comprising: a) an outer package; b) afirst inner package; and c) a second inner package; wherein the firstinner package and the second inner package are at least partiallyenclosed in the outer package; wherein the outer package being asix-sided box comprises a front face, a back face, a first side face, asecond side face, a top, and a bottom; wherein the outer packagecomprises a top edge and a bottom edge; wherein the top is in contactwith the first side face and the second side face when the outer packageis sealed; wherein the top is provided at an angle with respect to thefront face when the outer package is sealed; wherein the first innerpackage comprises a lid and the top of the lid extends beyond the topedge of the outer package; wherein the top of the outer packagecomprises an opening suitable for extending the lid therethrough whenthe outer package is sealed.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein thefirst inner package is a bottle.
 3. The package of claim 2, wherein thesecond inner package is a container for a solid medicament.
 4. Thepackage of claim 2, wherein the first inner package is not visiblethrough the front face, back face, first side face, and second sideface.
 5. The package of claim 3, wherein the second inner package is notvisible to a consumer viewing the sealed outer package.
 6. The packageof claim 1, wherein the top edge is not parallel to the bottom edge. 7.The package of claim 1, wherein the angle with respect to the front faceof the outer package is from about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees. 8.The package of claim 1, wherein the back face is taller than the frontface forming the angled top.
 9. A package comprising: a) an outerpackage; b) a first inner package; and c) a second inner package;wherein the first inner package is a bottle containing a liquidmedicament; wherein the bottle is partially enclosed in the outerpackage; wherein the second inner package is enclosed in the outerpackage; wherein the outer package comprises a front face, a back face,a first side face, a second side face, a top, and a bottom; wherein thetop is provided at an angle with respect to the front face when theouter package is sealed; wherein the bottle comprises a lid and the topof the lid extends beyond the top edge of the outer package; wherein thetop of the outer package comprises an opening suitable for extending thelid therethrough when the outer package is sealed; wherein the frontface and the back face are substantially parallel; and wherein the firstside and the second side are substantially parallel.
 10. The package ofclaim 9, wherein the angle with respect to the front face of the outerpackage is from about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees.
 11. The package ofclaim 9, wherein the bottle is not visible through the front face, backface, first side face, and second side face.
 12. The package of claim 9,wherein the front face comprises a height of from about 4 inches toabout 5 inches and the back face comprises a height of from about 6inches to about 7 inches.
 13. A package comprising: a) an outer package;b) a first inner package containing a first medicament; and c) a secondinner package containing a second medicament; wherein the first innerpackage and the second inner package are at least partially enclosed inthe outer package; wherein the outer package being a six-sided boxcomprises a front face, a back face, a first side face, a second sideface, a top, and a bottom; wherein the top is provided at an angle withrespect to the front face when the package is sealed; wherein the firstinner package comprises a lid and the top of the lid extends beyond thetop edge of the outer package; wherein the top of the outer packagecomprises an opening suitable for extending the lid therethrough whenthe outer package is sealed; wherein the first inner package is notvisible through the front face, back face, first side face, and secondside face.
 14. The package of claim 13, wherein the first inner packageis a bottle for a liquid medicament.
 15. The package of claim 14,wherein the second inner package is a container for a solid medicament.16. The package of claim 13, wherein the first medicament and the secondmedicament comprise the same active agent.
 17. The package of claim 13,wherein the second inner package is not visible to a consumer viewingthe sealed outer package.
 18. The package of claim 13 wherein the frontface and the back face are substantially parallel and wherein the firstside and the second side are substantially parallel.
 19. The package ofclaim 13 wherein an indicia depicting the second inner package isprovided on the outer package.
 20. The package of claim 13 wherein theouter package comprises a top edge and a bottom edge and wherein the topis in contact with the first side face and the second side face when theouter package is sealed.